South Dakota Community Foundation Awards $1.2 Million to Area Nonprofits

Fourteen South Dakota nonprofits will receive grants totaling nearly $1.2 million from the South Dakota Community Foundation’s Beyond Idea Grant (BIG) program. Offered in partnership with the Bush Foundation, the BIG program supports community-based problem-solving efforts in South Dakota. This announcement showcases recipients from the 2025 grant selection:

• Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud – $75,000
  • Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud will test a Youth-Led Social Enterprise Incubator. Youth will identify business ideas and opportunities, learn core business planning skills, enhance core skills like math, writing and goal setting, and ultimately launch pilot projects and services through real world sales events.
• Catholic Social Services –$100,000
  • Catholic Social Services will test a home-sharing program between elderly homeowners and adult renters and volunteer support for seniors through the creation of St. Anne’s Aging Services.
• Children’s Care Hospital & School dba LifeScape ‒ $100,000
  • LifeScape will test a “SelfCare” Initiative aimed to improve employee safety while maintaining quality care by proactively addressing and mitigating risk associated with maladaptive behaviors.
• Emily’s Hope – $100,000
  • Emily’s Hope will create a statewide awareness campaign designed to educate South Dakota students and parents about the dangers of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.
• Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership – $100,000
  • Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership will build a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen on ICAP-owned property as a part of a mixed-use affordable housing development. The new facility will significantly enhance the frozen meal initiative and 60s plus dining program.
• Marshall County Healthcare Center – $50,000
  • Marshall County Healthcare Center will develop a mobile care clinic program providing family practice care close to home to underserved patients of Marshall County.
• Rapid City Club for Boys – $60,000
  • The Rapid City Club for Boys has identified a need to overcome risk factors that affect the boys ability to succeed in their education by partnering with the Rapid City School District to bring teachers and other professionals to the Club.
• Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, as a fiscal sponsor for Promising Futures Fund – $100,000
  • Promising Futures Fund is launching a pilot College & Career Readiness Program to help underserved students navigate their path to success after high school graduation.
• South Dakota Bar Foundation – $63,222.50
  • South Dakota Bar Foundation will develop and test a virtual platform offering mentorship, training, and resources for attorneys working in rural areas and solo practices. The Bar Foundation will also help build a statewide pipeline that supports students from high school through professional practice in legal and justice careers.
• South Dakota News Watch ‒ $100,000
  • South Dakota News Watch will publish stories monthly highlighting community driven solutions that could help ease the housing shortage and improve communication about available options. These stories will be collected in a permanent, regularly updated feature on their website, bringing together effective ideas already being developed across South Dakota.
• South Dakota State University – $32,991
  • South Dakota State University will expand the South Dakota Rural Libraries Hotspot Lending Program, by spreading their idea to other communities in the state, which allows residents to “check out the internet” through their local libraries.
• The Compass Center – Sioux Falls – $100,000
  • The Compass Center will test the first Trauma Recovery Center in South Dakota. This Center will bring together a comprehensive network of services under one roof to increase access to care, streamline referral systems, and establish an expert center for victims of violence.
• Underdog Foundation – $100,000
  • Underdog Foundation will test a food truck operation to deliver meals directly to families in tribal communities, removing barriers to food access.
• Western South Dakota Community Action – $100,000
  • To address gaps in service coordination and the employment challenges faced by parolees, Western South Dakota Community Action will strengthen integration among service providers to improve coordinated case management for parolees and their families. Additionally, they will deliver short-term, coached work experiences designed to target and reduce the primary factors that lead to job failures.

“Each of the nonprofits are finding innovation ways to fill critical needs in their communities and across South Dakota,” said Ginger Niemann, SDCF Senior Program Officer. “We are proud to support these organizations as they continue to serve the needs of South Dakota.”

SDCF has awarded nearly $4.8 million from the Beyond Idea Grant program since 2022. Interested organizations can visit SDCommunityFoundation.org/BIG to review the grant guidelines and application instructions. SDCF will offer the BIG program again in 2026, with more details to be announced. To qualify, a nonprofit must be IRS Publication 78 verified or have a fiscal sponsor.